In the Talk Radio 1270 studio with morning host Charlie Langton on Thursday, Pugh addressed the issue after a caller asked if this is a question of character.

As a public official, who is expected to behave in a certain way, is he willing to apologize? Pugh says no.

“First of all, it was not a ‘Twitter war’ — that’s what y’all are calling it, the media. It was a few exchanges by two individuals who seemed to disagree, and I was much more respectful of him as he was of me.”

Pugh said did tweet the young man’s place of employment to inform them of the incident, but he made no threats.

“(I) said, you know, can you let him know that … he needs to make friends, not enemies … especially if he’s trying to make his way in the word…”

“First of all, he’s not even a citizen of the city of Detroit — he doesn’t vote for me, so how am I am disappointment to him? And what is he disappointed about? I’ve been working my tail off and threw my whole life into a tailspin to serve my city and, you know, what right does he have to call me a disappointment?”

Pugh called the intern’s comments “B.S.” and “wholly unfair.”

“I’m a human being, and I take great pride in my work and the things that I’ve done in the city. So, for somebody to say that, it pissed me off. So, I responded,” Pugh said.